The Phinney Ridge neighborhood has ranked as Seattle’s hottest neighborhood and the seventh-hottest market in the country, according to Seattle-based online real estate company, Redfin. Redfin determines the nation’s hottest neighborhoods by tallying loads of pages that online viewers visit and homes they added as favorites to monitor for price changes or sales. After Phinney Ridge, Madison Valley falls under the list of hot zones in Seattle.

12 TIPS FOR MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

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“I was taught to fear others.” “I’m brown, therefore I am invisible.” “White by day; Black by night.” “I would have pulled the trigger.” “Cute baby. Where is she from?” “I’m only Asian when it’s convenient.”

These are statements submitted by people from Seattle as part of The Race Card Project (TRCP). Three years ago, Michele Norris, host and special correspondent for NPR, started this national conversation in which participants share their thoughts, experiences and observations about race in one sentence with only six words. Thousands of interesting and thoughtful sentences from around the world are posted on the website.

Norris brings TRCP to Seattle Community Colleges’ 40th Annual Community Celebration to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream of social justice and equity. With business and civic leaders, elected officials and local residents taking part in the conversation, we will get Seattle’s candid views about race and diversity and provide a resource for respectful dialogue that gives life to Dr. King’s dream. The race cards can be used in a variety of ways by HR departments, diversity programs and leadership teams.

Join Chancellor Jill Wakefield for this inspiring and thought-provoking program on January 17, noon to 1:30 pm, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Avenue, Seattle. A discussion and Q&A session will begin immediately after the program and last one hour.

The first hour of your day can make or break it. Here are some surefire positive day starters. Plan the night before; organization will allow you to wake up feeling in control and relaxed. Try 15 minutes of meditation; meditation allows you to clear distractions from your mind. Begin with inspirational reading; uplifting books will start your day with positive thoughts. Trade coffee for green tea; a cup of green tea is soothing way to start your day, and you’ll still get the caffeine you desire.

A new year means a new attitude and fresh ideas. Here are some mental adjustments you can make for more success in 2014. Positivity; positive thinkers are more proactive in taking action to make the changes they want to see. Empathy; empathetic thinkers try to understand what motivates and inspires other people, and then use this to help them achieve these goals. Gratitude; grateful people appreciate what’s already in their lives, they know that success is always a group effort.

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Here are a few tips on how to be successful. Communicate your story effectively; successful people know who they are, what they do, and can make you believe in them. Make change instead of being affected by it; successful people aren’t waiting around to be affected by economic trends. They are the ones who are creating the trends and making things happen. Focus on the journey rather than the end goal; successful people are focused on building sustainable careers through hard work, risk taking, and creativity.

When Ed Murray takes the reins of Seattle’s government next month, he faces challenges that are distinctly different from those of his predecessor. The local economy is no longer in a rut, and is forecasted to experience rapid growth. Murray, a progressive who is an ally of labor, is tasked with steering the city and its business community that supported him into the future. Local business leaders believe Murray represents a more level head for City Hall, but one who can make the tough decisions. But all tough calls inevitably divide people.

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As a part of the In Good Company program, Mayor Mike McGinn has proclaimed December 16, Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and PFI Marine Electric Day. The Seattle-based Pacific Fishermen is being recognized for their resiliency, design innovation, and environmental stewardship, all accomplished while simultaneously preserving Seattle’s maritime legacy and representing Seattle’s rich heritage. “In order for Seattle’s economy to grow, we need to nurture different types of businesses across a diverse array of industry sectors. Pacific Fishermen is an example of a company that is dedicated to maintaining the heritage of its industry and its owners,” said Mayor McGinn. “Implementing innovative new designs to protect and enhance the environment not only creates a sustainable future for the industry, but also demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship.” Check out the full press release here.

Here are some strategies to be effective in getting the most out of your mornings. Manage your energy, not your time; you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times. Prepare the night before; spend a few minutes each night organizing your to do list for tomorrow. Don’t open email until noon; use the morning to do what’s important. Turn your phone off; this eliminates time wasting activities. Work in a cool place; cooler places make it easier to focus your mind. Sit up or stand up; most people sit hunched over while working, sitting up will provide oxygen necessary to work properly.

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Being an entrepreneur means constant communication. Being concise is key. Strong writing is lean writing. Here are a few words to cut from your vocabulary to streamline communications. Just; removing it rarely affects meaning, but rather, the deletion tightens a sentence. Stuff; It’s casual, it’s generic, and it usually stands in for something more specific. Amazing; this word is often used, the meaning has been diluted.

The 2013 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. These factors provide a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics. This year, Seattle jumped seven spots in the ranking, from 13 to six. Seattle was noted for both its job growth and its wage growth.

OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIRING A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

The Office of Economic Development (OED) is hiring a Community Development Specialist. This position serves as a member of the Business Services Team and is focused on the Only in SeattleInitiative (OIS). The Only in Seattle Initiative is a partnership between OED and neighborhood business districts to foster districts where small businesses thrive, communities engage, and jobs are created. For a full description of the position, requirements, or to apply, please visit the City of Seattle’s Employment Career Portal, and scroll down to the desired position.

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Legacy Partners Residential plans to build a 276-unit apartment project near the Seattle offices of Google and other high tech companies. Legacy’s building will be the latest apartment project to spring up along this stretch of Stone Way, with mid-rise office and apartment buildings replacing paint, plumbing, and other home-improvement stores that have occupied the area for decades. The area is becoming known as the ‘Silicon Canal,’ due to tech companies like Google, Tableau Software and other companies’ offices residing nearby. Legacy’s project is just one proposed project, with several other large apartment buildings currently under construction or being planned.

Seven new Seattle restaurants have made Seattle-based Urbanspoon’s list of “Top New Restaurants” of 2013. The restaurants were decided based on the most viewed, reviewed, and liked restaurants to open their doors this year. The list was compiled from more than 46,000 new restaurants added to Urbanspoon in 2013. The top new Seattle restaurants included are: Bar Cantinetta, Rachel’s Ginger Beer, Radiator Whiskey, Rock Creek, Stoneburner, Von Trapp’s, and Westward.

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Thrillist has compiled a list of the seven sweetest spots to score a great steak; here they are. Capitol Hill’s Manhattan is Capitol Hill’s only real steak spot, serving up its beef with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and steak house fries. Madrona’s Daniel’s Broiler features its porterhouse and rib eye steaks that are flash-seared and served with a side of potatoes. Wallingford’s Joule is a Korean steakhouse, featuring short rib steak with Kalbi and grilled kimchi. Queen Anne’s Canlis is not a steak house, but their American grown Wagyu-style beef is Thrillist’s top steak in Seattle.

Sorting through emails can be a tedious and time consuming task, reading and answering emails takes up to 28 percent of the average worker’s day. Here is a list of the most important steps you can take to power through your daily pile of emails and reclaim your productivity and time. Use a filtering service to divert unimportant emails. Don’t try and tackle your email on a mobile device; it is much slower to type on a mobile phone than on a keyboard. Don’t use your inbox as your to-do list. To get less, give less; avoid spamming colleagues with the use of cc: and bcc: this will reduce the never ending threads and conversations.

It’s important to develop a unique identity through strategic branding to set your business apart from the competition. Here are some common characteristics of successful brands, so you can build your brand accordingly. Audience knowledge; the best brands understand the demographics of their target audience. Uniqueness; brand identity simply requires one special thing that separates you from the competition. Consistency; consumers look to receive the same level of quality each time they interact with a business. Exposure; successful brands are able to reach consumers through multiple channels.

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A lot has been written about what early risers do before the work day, but how do successful people spend their time before going to bed? Here are a few anecdotes: President Obama, a self-described night owl, reads for pleasure for half an hour before going to bed. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook CEO, turns her phone off, to completely unplug from the day. And Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express, writes down three things he wants to accomplish the next day. This helps him prioritize and reflect upon his most important tasks.

With the highest income per capita, and one of the lowest unemployment rates, Seattle has one of the strongest economies in the United States. The job market has picked back up since the recession, and employment opportunities are abundant. Here are the Seattle area employers who have the most job openings: Microsoft; with 4,277 available jobs, Amazon; with 3,534 available jobs, University of Washington; with 773 available jobs, Nordstrom; with 741 available jobs, and Providence Health and Services; with 661 available jobs.

Are you and your friends signed up for OED’s Daily Digest? Compiled from over 100 news sources, the OED Daily Digestis the best way to keep up with the latest in business, technology, workforce, industry, real estate, maritime, energy and economic development news in Seattle